Aspiring Singer and Nigerian Heiress Dreams of Becoming the Next Rihanna
Ambimbola 'Bim' Fernandez, a Nigerian heiress and the daughter of one of the wealthiest people in the world, aspires on becoming the next Rihanna singing sensation.
On Tuesday she released her first record via SMH Records called "Let's Take It Naked," a fun and lively bubble-gum pop tune.
In an exclusive interview with the New York Post, the singer talked openly about being the daughter of Antonio Deinde Fernandez, a gemstone tycoon and former UN ambassador with a networth of $8.7 billion, and her dreams of making it big in the music industry.
"It's not even that racy of a song!" Fernandez says referring to her single. "It's very poppy, like, 'I think you're cute! Do you like me? So let's get naked!' I want it to be that song where it's like, 'Turn that song on! Let's get ready! Let's do shots!'"
The 24-year-old heiress conducted the interview in her posh Midtown Manhattan apartment, where she showed off her original Picasso and Dr. Seuss paintings, along with her picture with South African leader Nelson Mandela, who she called "Uncle Mandela" as a child.
However, the aspiring singer insists that even with her privileged background, "Money can't buy a record deal. It can't buy good music. You can either sing or you can't."
Her reclusive 80-year-old father, who started out owning an oil company called Petro-Inett, is believed to be one of the world's richest men due the diamond and gold mines he owns in Central African Republic.
"There was a coup in the Congo," said Fernandez. "He made his first million, I think, [by] trading - obviously this is before I was born. They would give him oil in return for food, and then he would sell the oil.
"I don't know if that's legal, so if it's not, don't quote me," she adds. "I don't think there's anything wrong with it. My dad's a genius."
She also said that she's taking a risk by pursuing her dreams, which make her father fearful.
"He's terrified because I'm his baby - especially with [me] revealing [my] wealth, and me being alone in the country, he's terrified of someone kidnapping me and holding me for ransom," she says. "He also just doesn't want people taking advantage of me because I have been very sheltered my whole life."